Method and apparatus for separating and concentrating granular mixtures



Oct. 15. 1956 H, B CANNON ET AL 2,766,882

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING AND CONCENTRATING GRANULAR MIXTURESFiled July 9. 1952 7 SheetS-Sheet l Oct- 16. 1956 H. B. CANNON ET AL2,766,882

METHOD AND APPARATUS Foa SEPARATING AND CONCENTRATING GRANULAR MIXTURESFiled July 9, 1952 v sheets-sheet 2 |48 |53 l lli 5 l5! l \52 HO 'LmvENToRs IOI` ,Y HARRY s. CANNON OSCAR H. TRUDEAU BAM?, M24?,

ATTOR N EYS B. CANNON ET AL METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING AND Oct.16, 1956 H.

CONCENTRATING GRANULAR MIXTURES Filed July 9. 1952 7 Sheets-Sheet 3INVENTOR` B. CANNON H. TRUDEAU W4? wl/A2@ A TORNEY HARRY oscAR Oct. 16,1956 H. B. CANNON ET AL 2,766,382

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING AND CONCENTRATING GRANULAR MIXTURESFiled July 9, 1952 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 li IO 'zot 2:2 208 205 msn 25 zu LI(Q IN V EN TORJ HARRY B. CANNGN OSCAR rLTF'eLJcnAul Uw/Jig W) A TORNOct. 16, 1956 H. B. CANNON ET AL METHODl AND APPARATUS FOR SEPARATINGAND CONCENTRATING" GRANULAR MxxTuREs I Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed July 9, 19525 INVENTORS 134-! HARRY B. CANNON OSCAR H- TRUDEAU 'za ATTORNE s oct;16, 1956 H. B. CANNON ET AL METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING ANDCONCENTRATING GRANULAR MIXTURES Filed July 9, 1952 FEED RECYCLED 7Sheets-Sheet 7 FIRST SEPARATOR RECYCLED A SECOND SEPARATOR R EcYcLEo nFig. I3

THIRD SEPARATO R *l FOURTH TAILINGS l FOURTH SE PARATOR INVENTORS HARRYB. CANNON OSCH H. TRUDEAU ATTORNEYS nited States Patent METHOD ANDAPPARATUS FOR SEPARATING AND CONCENTRATING GRANULAR MIXTURES Harry BeardCannon, Lakeland, and Oscar H. Trudeau, Starke, Fla.; said Trudeauassignor to said Cannon Application July 9, 195,2, Serial No. 297 ,952

27 Claims.V (Cl. 209-157) This invention relates to a method andapparatus for separating a granular mixture into itsconstituentcomponents by a gravity induced stratification thereof. Moreparticularly the invention is concerned with the separation of ores,either dry or in aqueous slurries, into several separated portions orstrata, one of which contains the major portion of the valuable mineral,while another contains so little that it may be economically discarded.

It is frequently desirable, if not essential, to concentrate the ore atthe mine face and to discard the bulk of uneconomic material nearby,before transporting the concentrated minerals to a location Where thedesired constituents can be recovered and rened. In many miningoperations the ores are of such low grade that an economic recovery ofdesired constituents would otherwise not be possible.

A classic example of such an operation is the placer mining of gold andtin by means of dredges. It is essential therein that the great bulk ofthe worthless quartz sands be separated from their valuable mineralcontents at the dredging site, thus greatly reducing the amount ofmaterial to be transported and subjected to subsequent processing. Forthis purpose various types of shaking tables, stationary tables, jigs,troughs, sluices and the like have been suggested. One of the mostsuccessful in recent years is the so-called Humphreys Spiral. Thisconsists of a vertical chute in the form of a helix in which separationis performed by stratification and inertia displacement of the materialduring its travel down the chute, the various fractions being drawn oft"through separate openings placed along the path of travel at spacedintervals. This equipment is, however, quite bulky, heavy and expensive.

Other types of separators have taken various shapes and' forms, somehave been of the gravity-feed, pinched sluice-type such as thatdisclosed in U. S. Letters Patent 650,138, or of the closed conduit.type such as that disclosed in U. S. Letters Patent 2,171,674. Theformer type has long been abandoned in commercial use because of itsextreme bulkiness and-ineiiiciency (the length bein-g 16 feet with afeed end width of 2 feet); while the latter type has several distinctdisadvantages in that it does not permit a true gravitystratiedseparation becauselof the positive pressure head maintained at the feedend and is also bulky and cumbersome (having a length of 8 -f'eet and afeed end Width of almost 3 feet). But the constructional features ofeither type unit are much simpler than those of the Humphreys Spiral andat first glance would seem to warrant a commercial priority thereof,particularly the pinched-sluice type.

There has been little if any acceptance of this latter type separator,however, due to the fact that the prior art constructions have allproduced an exceedingly low percentage recovery (i. e., the percentrecovered valuable mineral compared to the percent valuable mineral inthe mineral head feed) which has relegated this type unit to a positionof neglect.

This ineicacy of the pinched sluce-type separator has Flrice been due toa failure by those in the art to recognize certain critical limitationswhich control the ehciency of this type unit. In particular, the majorerror committed in` prior sluice-type separators has been an attempt toincrease capacity by increasing size at the expense of the recovery andgrade of the recovered minerals, and' the portability of the unit. Theconditions of a high capacity per hour per unit and a high percentagerecovery of an acceptable grade are to a certain degree incompatible,but a compromise solution producing a maximum overall ethciency may .bereached by the method and structure of the instant invention.

It is, therefore, a prime object of this invention to provide an oreseparating and concentrating unit which has a high eflciency in bothpercentage recovery and ca` pacity per hour, while maintaining a goodgrade in the recovered concentrate. It is a further object of thisinvention to produce an ore separating unit which is small in size andinexpensive to construct. A still further object is to provide a methodof separating valuable minerals from their constituent natural wastematerials in an inexpensive `and speedy process while minimizingexcessive ore dressing operations such as fine-mesh pre-grinding.Additional objects and advantages will become apparent as thedescription of this invention proceeds.

The methods and apparatus are applicable to any well divided ore thatmay be caused to flow as such or suspended in a liquid over the inclinedconverging trough. The invention is particularly applicable to heavymineral bearing sands found in nature, such as sands containingilmenite, rutile, Zircon, cassiten'te or like minerals. Gravityseparation or stratiication of a mixture of dry granules may be obtainedin this manner subsequently specified due to diierences in specificgravity and grain size without the necessity of a lluid carrier. Dryseparations may be applied to any form of granular mixtures such asores, seeds, etc.

The invention may also be applied to heavy-media separations, whereinores containing granular constituents of diverse specific gravities aremixed in an aqueous slurry containing nely ground high-density materialsuch as magnetite or ferrosilicon. These dense line particles increasethe specific gravity of the slurry to a selected point` whereat thegangue elements of the ore are floated and the heavier, and generallyvaluable granules sink.

In the case of gravity separation which is particularly eiective forseparating the heavy mineral-bearing sands, itis preferable to use anaqueous slurry containing a high percentage of the natural ore, forexample, lone having a dry solid content of between 5,5 and 72 percent.In the case of the lighter valuable minerals which have little gravitydifferential from their gangue constituents, it may be desirable totreat the feed with llotation reagents in order to inliuencestratification of the various solid constituents thereof. The formertype of separation is commonly referred to as gravity separation, whilethe latter typeseparation is commonly referred to as reagentized feedseparation. In the former case the lower portion of the slurry mixtureusually constitutes the valuable concentrate, while in the latter, theupper oating portion or strata of the slurry usually contains thevaluable mineral concentrate. v

B-roadly speaking, this invention involves the use of :an inclinedtrough or sluice .having converging sides and a relatively narrowoutlet, over which the ore, preferably in .the form of an aqueousslurry, ows `and in which it becomes stratified. Combined therewith anemeans l-ocated in ya zone of free fall beyond said outlet, whereby` theeffluent lor fan is ydivided into several portions containing Widelyvarying concentrations of the desired minerals.

. By keeping the angleyat the apex small it is possible high densityvalues. In gravity type separations the degree of slope controls therate of stratification or settlement of the valuable minrrals, while inreagentized separation it controls the stratification of the waste sandparticles. In this latter type separation a steep slope will increaseturbulence to a point where separating action is ineffective.

To facilitate a full comprehension of this invention and to illustratehow it may be carried out in practice, reference will now be made to theaccompanying drawings in which:

Figs. l and 2 are graphs, respectively indicating variations in thepercentage recovery rate for gravity-type separations and reagentizedfeed-type separations with respect to constructional and operationalvariations.

Fig. 3a is a schematic view of the pinched-sluice segment of separatorof the instant invention.

Fig. 3b is a fragmentary schematic view of a modified sluice and anassociated uid splitter element.

Fig. 4 is a schematic sectional view of a separating apparatus forreagentized feed separations including multiple pinched-sluice unitsarranged in vertically staggered batteries of inverted frusto-conicalconfiguration.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view along the line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view along the line 6 6 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a schematic secctional view along the line 7- 7 of Fig. 4indicating the generally circular configuration of a single cone batteryof individual sluices.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary isometric view of the separating sluicesconstituting a single frusto-conical battery.

Fig. 9 is a side View of a modified form of supporting structure for asingle conical sluice array.

Fig. l0 is a top plane View of the support of Fig. 9.

Fig. l1 is a fragmentary sectional view of the support of Fig. 9 incooperation with a modified form of conical separating battery andsplitter assemblage.

Fig. l2 is a schematic sectional view of another form of separatingbattery and splitter assemblage.

Fig. 13 is a schematic illustration of a fiow sheet depicting amulti-stage countercurrent recirculation process for gravity typeseparations.

Reference will now be made to the drawings, particularly Figs. l, 2, 3aand 3b thereof, to more fully and adequately set forth the basictheories and limiting considerations involved in the instant invention.Fig. 3a is a diagrammatic view of a single pinched-sluice type separatorconstructed according to the instant invention. As shown in the figure,the sluice consists of a trough having a triangularly shaped bottomsurface 1 (the length of which is denoted by the bracket T for thepurpose hereinafter set forth) which is inclined at an angle (e) withrespect to the horizon (indicated by dashed line X-X). Raising from theoor 1 are integral, converging and vertically extending side walls 2which converge from the relatively wide feed end 4 of the trough to therespectively narrow discharge end 3 at the included angle indicated as abetween the dashed line Y--Y extended from the side walls 2. The widthsof the feed and discharge ends have been respectively denoted as (w) and(m) for the purpose hereinafter apparent.

Adjacent the discharge end 3 of the trough there is provided amechanical splitter in the form of a thin sheet (see 16 in Fig. 3b)which is positioned beyond the end of the trough in a Zone of free fallwherein fiuid conveyed over the surface of the inclined trough will bedischarged at the nose 3 into a field of gravity. If desired, anoutwardly curved depending lip portion (see 11 in Fig. 3b) may beprovided at the discharge end 3 to assist in forming a more effectivelamellar jet in the efiiuent fan of the discharge fluid fiow.

As will be clear from an inspection of Fig. 3a, the walls 2 convergegradually towards the apex of the triangular configuration whilesimultaneously increasing the effective vertical extending surface ofsuch walls.

This gradual and systematic increase in the effective side walls slurrycontacting surfaces, while converging the liuid fiow into a narrowerpath, provides the requisite progressively increasing drag on the fluidstream necessary to an operative separating action. The depending lipportion 11 of'Fig. 3b may be dispensed with, as in the instant case,although it has been found to be effective in increasing the verticalspan of the lamellar jet-formed in the iiuid stream in the free fallzone. This latter action is attributable to the surface adhesion betweenthe lower strata of water and theV adjacent floor 1 of the trough. v

Reference will now be had to Figs. l and 2 along with Figs. 3a and`3b indescribing the critical limitations on constructional and operationalfeatures found necessary to an efficient result with such typeseparator. In Fig. l there are shown ve separate graphs indicating thevariation in the percertange recovery with respect t0 variations in thelength of slurry travel, the convergence angle between the side walls,the head feed rate, the slurry density, and the slope or inclination ofthe sluice fioor for gravity-type separations of heavy minerals. Fig. 2graphically illustrates variations in the percentage recovery withrespect to variations in slurry travel, the convergence angle, and thehead feed rate for reagentized feed-type separations.

In Fig. 1 the separate curves are respectively indicated as A through Einclusive. Curve A illustrates the variation in the percentage recoverywith respect to changes in the length of travel of the slurry ow forgravity-type separations, and shows that for travel lengths below twofeet (24 inches) the recovery rate is considerably below percent butsharply rises as the length of slurry travel is increased to a maximumof approximately percent in a region of slurry length of travelapproximating three feet (36 inches), where it begins to graduallydecrease for increasing slurry lengths up to approximately six feet (72inches) before more sharply decreasing. it will be apparent that maximumeiiiciency of the separator can be assured by selecting lengths in theregion between approximately 36 inches and 48 inches. Lengths beyondthis limit, although having an effective high recovery rate, are notpractical since they take up additional space without providing anyadditional benefit or increase in efficiency. In extensive tests it hasbeen found that the vpercentage recovery may be maintained at a verydesirable high value, approximating 95 percent, while varying the lengthof slurry travel for gravity-type separations between 36 inches and 42inches. This latter range, indicated by the bracket 5 on curve A, ispreferred because it assures the maximum percentage recovery withrelatively short travel lengths.

Curve B illustrates the variation in the percentage recovery withvariations in the convergence angle a between the sides 2-2 (Fig. 3) ofthe pinched sluice. As shown, with a convergency angle in theneighborhood of six degrees and less, the percentage recovery is below85 percent, but sharply rises to a maximum of approximately 95 percentwith an increase in the convergency angle to approximately seven oreight degrees where the recovery remains constant. This clearlyindicates that the convergence angle constitutes a lower critical limit,in the neighborhood of seven degrees, below which the percentagerecovery ratel is definitely adversely effected. Above this lowercritical limit, variations in the convergency angle do not directlyaffect the percentage 'recovery, at least up to about sixteen degrees.Practical commercial considerations however limit this variation'to therange, indicated by the bracket 6, between the limits of six and sixteendegrees, since wider vangle convergences take up correspondingly morespace without supplying any additional recovery benefit or capacity.Another more potent factor also controls the upper limit. Widerconvergence angles produce a sharp increase in turbu- Seaway redisefi 6rVe.

tor frein the hiiZ'OijitLV As'inditd, th li'v sftbrisies withVanin*clinjaltitiri b'esow 13 degrees. fni 'a ec-every rate ofLappr'exinatlyso git tra rtjf 95 Y"t yvfithjan,` increase in inclinati@te 15 deg'rs. hits its'pe'ak at this'point hilt sliily breaks eafterdatan inclination of 16 degrees, ivhere it begins 171g aqwnwardiy'te alower rc'ovry 'fate' ef 'approxil vssively greater inclinations. r theinstant ntnefal pcsj the r'riaixm recovery is an inclination tithe-tween15 16 A Hdwver, some minealsfihibit rnaqifns on either sideof thisnari-'ow fange, 'and 'when 'c'epi with r considerations siu'chy as andbarring and particle i renee, `inane it avisame te' exrehdjfh range efVarlattonto `aV lovvr Iii-nit of 13'fc`leg'ree`s'and upper limit of 23;degrees vvithntrsubstntilly impifing 4an acceptable -recht/ery'` rate.v

Tliiseittesin of permissible slope variation is rnde i,

' percentage recovery sharply fell-rdiff'.Y Investigatir' shJi/ed'that'V drop in eiliciency W due t fh fe that each succeeding stage VWasprocessingA proportion thicker stirata 'f Vdense orfheav'y specificigravity Y determined that a' change' in' the" flow" slope Wasth'e only pat solution 'since decrease in density would crease the separating time'While producing a state of slurry,turbulence and reducing the; recoveryrates.

These tests have indicatedthat the permissible slpe g variations vvithinthe range indicated may be generali-y collatedV a's follows: for lowgrade v(.loiv proportion of dense valuesLup to 25%) feeds 0 shouldapproximate 15; for mdium grade (medinm proportionof densevaltiesl25i50%) feeds 6 should approximate 18;'and

for high grade (high proportion of dense values--above I i 50%)' feds 0should approximate' 211. It will bev understod' that slight variationson' either side of the indicatedV preferredlimits areperrnissible. v l lY Coupled with the4 above' notedV limitations, areV thecorrstru'ctionallimitations of the pinched-sluice-type separator withrespect to feed end Width (w) and the discharge nose' Width (m) (seeFig; 3a).

Vtionsin the feed end width (w) of the orderpof 4 inches to l2Y inchesdo not-,adversely eect the capacity Vof the unit and have norelationship to thepercentage recovery rateT Y With feed end Widthsbelow Vfourrinches Vthe ability of the unit to eciently handle dilerenttype minerals hav` ing different spec-:nic` particle and gangue sizes isadversely electe'd, While widths in' excess of the twelveV vinch maximumrequirei'ncreased'area and consequently larger units to compensatetherefor, but increase neither therecoyy' rate nor capacity. In fact,increases beyond therabv'e maximum adversely etect the reeovery'andthee'iliciency nature of the discharged steani and lse thebenetits'gbtained by the use of the instant type construction. The'limitsfvriation's in nose Width (t) fou'nd allowable for thisy typevseparat-in have beenV establishd tY be' beiY tvveen three-eights inchand one inch'. Below tl'iloweiz limit teo rauch frbiecethreugh parrtileinterfereree @cette and aint epaify is reduced, while with increases"above the one limit, the accentuated' separating chan' acterlstic of thelamellar or lamellar jet is lo'st. Betvveen these veiiftremes the nose'width may be varied dile t specific c'st'rc'tional considerationswithout significantly e'ctin'g the fpa'cityw or recovery rateV of theunit.

Y Another facto'r Which is critical t the operation of the device is theposition ofthe splitter element 10 beyond the discharge end 3 (see Fig.3b) in vthe vzone of free fall (its adjustment in the vertical planedepends upon i the particular type of separation; i. e., gravitysparation oi- `rab 4ntizd feed, this distance may be varied betweenYne-'sixtenthfto 'eighteen inches. v It has been found An examinationunder Y various operation conditions h'as establishedthatyaria- 9 thatthe desired exibility of the unit, which is a requisite for separating ahost of various sized natural mineral particles, dictates that thesplitter cutting edge be positioned approximately one-sixteenth inch ormore from the discharge edge of the sluice oor 1, in the zone of freefall, the preferred distance being one-fourth inch.

From the above experimental data, it may be concluded that eicientgravity-type separation of various valuable minerals with apinched-sluice type separator, may be obtained with a high percentagerecovery and a resultant high acceptable grade of recovered minerals, ifthe sluice is constructed to have, (a) a slurry travel length of betweenthirty-six inches and forty-two inches, (b) side walls which converge atan angle between six degrees and sixteen degrees, (c) a feed end widthwhich may vary between four and twelve inches, (d) a nose width whichmay vary between three-eighths and one inch, and (e) a slope (e) of thesluice iloor which may vary between thirteen and twenty-three degrees,while maintaining a feed density (percent solids by weight) betweenftylive and seventy-two percent and a feed rate in the order of one tonper day (dry solids).

Fig. 2 illustrates variations in the percentage recovery for reagentizedfeed separations with variations in the length of slurry travel, theangle of convergence (a), and the head feed rate (tons per hour). Thesecurves have respectively been identified as A', B and C. Curve A' showsthat the percentage recovery rises gradually from approximatelyfifty-six percent with a length of slurry travel twenty-four inches to apercentage recovery of approximately sixty-ve percent at a length ofslurry travel of thirty-three inches; at which point, the curve beginsto curve sharply upwardly to a peaked maximum percentage recovery ofapproximately seventy-three percent beween slurry travel lengths ofthirty-iive and thirtyseven inches. Thereafter, the curve sharply breaksdownwardly for lengths of travel in excess thereof. This curve indicatesthat maximum percentage recovery rates would be obtained with slurrytravel lengths of the order f thirty to thirty-nine inches. However, thefree choice of the travel length of the slurry is qualified by the gradeof the recovered mineral concentrate which tends to depreciate below anacceptable commercial limit when the length of slurry travel is extendedbeyond thirty-three inches. The range of acceptable grades ofconcentrate, indicated between points 20 and 21 on the curve, occurswith a slurry travel in the neighborhood of between twenty-four andthirty-three inches, above which the grade of concentrate is lessacceptable, and below which the percent recovery rate is too low forcommercially practicable operations. This critical condition limits therecovery rate to between 55 and 65 percent. It must be rememberedhowever that these tests, in the interest of providing a standardbackground, were made on a single ore. Other phosphate ores can beexpected to produce variations from these results, but within similarnarrow limits.

Curve B illustrates the change in recovery rate with a change in theconvergency angle (a). For convergence angles of the order of sixdegrees and below, the recovery rate is in the neighborhood of fiftypercent and lower. With an increase in the angle of convengence, therecovery rate gradually rises to a maximum of approximately sveentypercent at a convergence angle between thirteen and fourteen degrees. Atthis point the curve begins to tail off. The most ecient recovery rateis obtained with a convergence angle in the neighborhood of fourteendegrees; however, the highest percentage recovery obtainable with anacceptable grade of concentrate has been limited by the length of slurrytravel to be in the range of 55 to 65 percent (see curve A). It willtherefore be apparent that the convergence angle may be varied betweenthe limit of 6 degrees, where the recovery rate approximates 55 percent,to the upper limit of sixteen degrees, where the curve begins to againdrop below 55 percent.

This effective range is indicated by the bracket 2i-iiiy the gure.Again, thisV is from work on a single phosphate ore. significantlylarger or smaller will show resultant minor variations in operatingcharacteristics. A

Curve C illustrates the change in recovery rate with changes in feedrate (tons per hour of solids). This figure shows that maximumpercentage recovery rate is obtainable with feed rates of the order ofone-tenth ton per hour v and less. From this maximum, the recovery curveprogressively decreases with increases in the feed rate; Upon inspectionof the curve, it will be noted that at a percent recovery rate of 55,the feed rate is vfive-tenths ton per hour; and since this is the minmumrecovery rate for commercially practical operations established bycurve' A', use of feed rates in excess thereof would decrease therecovery rate below an acceptable limit, although the; capacity would beincreased. This curve sets the maxi-,- mum feed rate, indicated at 23 onthe curve, for an ef-v cient operation of a pinched sluice-typeseparator for reagentized feeds to be five-tenths ton per hour. Thisprovides a low recovery rate in the neighborhood of 55 percent rangingto a maximum at 65 percent with slight variations. The low recovery rateestablished by the above noted limitations, however, may be effectivelyincreased through the use of multi-stage processing wherein the intialtailings may be'eifectively and economically reprocessed according tothe disclosure hereinafter set forth.

No curves have been illustrated for changes in the recovery rateproduced by variations in the slope (e) of the sluice oor or in thedensity of the slurry reagentized feeds since these factors areparticularly limited by the commercially acceptable grade of therecovered product. Various tests have established that the slope of thetrough, for reagentized feed separations, may have an allowablevariation between nine and thirteen degrees inclination below thehorizon. With greater degrees of inclination, the grade of the recoveredconcentrate becomes sharply depreciated and is generally unacceptable.This is due to turbulence, eddy currents, and lack of eiicientstratification and separation in the slurry flow. The minimum limit isset where sandbarring occurs. With inclinations of less than ninedegrees the separated waste materials fail to ilow freely and collect inthe trough creating sand bars which in turn produce turbulence, andparticle interference in the flowing reagentized products, with aconsequent untolerable reduction in the grade of the recoveredconcentrate. The recovery rate is also slightly reduced when exceedingeither limit but is not particularly important.

The density of the slurry for this type separation has no minimum limit,but slurry densities in excess of thirtytive percent solids reduce theproduct grade below anV As set forth above with respect to gravityseparations,A

variations in the width of the feed end of the sluice, for reagentizedfeeds, are not critical within a fairly wide range. Experiment hasestablished the lower limit to be at four inches, identical to that forgravity-type separations. The upper limit, however, is established atnine,l

inches due to the effects that greater widths produce. With widths inexcess of nine inches, the convergence of the trough creates turbulenceand consequent depreciation of concentrate grade.

On the other hand, variations in the nose width (m) have separatecritical limitations for reagentized feed separations. Extensive testshave indicated that for this#I Ores in which the quartz gangue grainsare allstructed of tubular sheet metal, or similar material, andincludes a depending sleeve portion 111, which surrounds, but is spacedfrom, the feed pipe 101, and a truncated conical portion 112 whichintegrally connects the sleeve portion 111 With an annular angularlyextending peripheral splitter flange or lip 115. Each lip 115 is formedto have an edge which cooperates with the tluid ow discharged from theplurality of adjacent slurry sluices and separates it into two distinctportions or strata. A splash protector 113 composed of cylindricalsection of either metal, plastic or water-repellent fabric materialdepends from the splitter ange 115 for a purpose hereinafter apparent.

Positioned immediately above the three lowermost truste-conicalseparating units 127, 137 and 147, respectively, are a plurailty ofdistributing cone members (or distributors) 120, 130 and 140,respectively. Each distributor consists of a continuous sheet metalsurface formed in the shape of a shallow cone and having an upstandingllange portion respectively identied as 121, 131 and 141 adjacent itsapex portion. The central distributing cones (120 and 130) arepositioned to surround the depending sleeves 111 of the adjacentsplitter units 110. Suitable uid sealing means 112, 132 may be providedbetween the sleeve members 111 and the respective distributor units. Inthe instant ligure, such elements are disposed between the two centraltruste-conical distributor members only; there being no need for suchconstruction in the lower or last distributor unit 140 since its ilange141 extends Within the third splitter 110 and makes a fluid tight sealwith the feed pipe 101. As is shown in the ligure, the separateseparating units 110 which cooperate with the frusto-conical separatorsare substantially identical in construction, and each is adapted to beadjustably positioned vertically with respect to the adjacent dischargeends 3 of the individual sluices comprising the truste-conicalseparating batteries. The lowermost splitter unit 110 does not require asplash protector 113 and none is shown thereon. Each of these funneledseparating members or splitter units may be adjustably secured in thedesired vertical position by means of a suitable leverage systemhereinafter described.

Adjacent the splitter unit 110 which cooperates with the separatingbattery 137 is positioned a concentrate or waste-catching basin 135.rThis basin is constructed to have a generally tubular shape in thevertical direction which has a slightly larger radius than that of thecentral aperture of the rusto-conical separator 137. The tubular outerwall terminates in an annular bottom having a central aperture whichforms a fluid tight seal with the sleeve 111 of the splitter 110. Aspout or discharge con-A duit 136 is integrally formed with the catchbasin and is adapted to convey the fluid waste materials to a remotepoint. An identical waste-catching basin is indicated at 145 adjacentthe frusto-conical separating unit 147 and also includes a wastedischarge conduit 146. Vertically disposed below the basin 145 is aconcentrate catch basin 149 having a slightly smaller radius and alsoincluding a discharge conduit 150. As shown in the drawing, this lattercatch basin surrounds the sleeve extension 111 of the adjacent slurrysplitting unit 110 and is adapted toreceive liuid conveyed between theperipheral wall of the enclosed feed pipe 1411 and the depending sleeveportion 111. The waste-catching basins 145 and 135 are adapted tocollect and convey to a discharge receptacle the lowermost orWaste-bearing stratum from the respective frustoconical separators 147and 137. A

Suitable means such as a lever and linkage system may be provided forseparately adjusting the splitter units Within the discharge perimetersof the several batteries. One such means is illustrated in Figure 4 inconnection with thesplitter unit'11t) of battery 137. As shown, thiscontrol means may consist of a pivoted lever 165 having a pivotal pointsuspended from a depending hanger 166 supported from the underside ofthe operating battery 137, an intermediate yoke portion (notillustrated) which surrounds and engages the splitter unit immediatelybelow lip with a tight fractional grip and a control end which is freelymovable. The lever includes an adjustable detent mechanism 162 composedof a squareheaded bolt and a wing nut threaded thereon. The bolt isadapted to project laterally from the lever 162 through an elongatedopening 161 in a bracket 160, supported from the depending heads of thebattery frame work. The detent mechanism is thereby enabled toselectively lock the lever 165 in any desired vertical position Withinthe extent of the elongated slot 161 by the simple expedient oftightening the wing nut 162 to clamp the lever 165 between it and theadjacent bracket 160. As shown, the pivotal end 166 of the lever ispositioned relatively close to thel discharge perimeter end of thebattery whereby relatively long vertical movements of the control end ofthe lever induce a much smaller vertical movement of the splittermovement 110. This provides an exceedingly simple and ei'icientstructure for positioning the splitter unit accurately and precisely.

Figure 6 illustrates an alternative way of mounting the control lever165. In this iigure the distributor includes an elongated slot 123approximately in the mid position of its truncated periphery. Suitableuid deliectors 124 are positioned about the opening 123 and are adaptedto guide the slurry flow thereabout. With this construction it ispossible to mount a control lever such as of Figure 4 through theelongated slot 123 whereby it may have a yoke connection with thedepending sleeve 111 of the next vertically adjacent splitter unit tothereby control the elevation of such unit in the vertically adjacentbattery, the pivotal end of the lever being supported dependingly fromthe underside of the distributor at a point diametrically opposite theelongated opening 123.

The opening 123 may also be used simply as an inspection port or may beavailed of as a means of introducing a pipe carrying spray water intothe battery which through suitable conventional fittings, located withinthe contines of the distributing cone, may be directed upon the feed asit drops oi of the distributor onto the feed ends of the individualsluices. In reagentized feed separations it is often desirable toprovide such spray Water in the form of tine jets at the point of feedintroduction into the separating segments. These spray jets are normallydirected degrees out of phase with the direction of slurry ilow andfunction to Wash and breakup reagentized granule agglomerations and tointroduce air bubbles in the slurry which aid in oating the unwet,valuable granules. The use of spray water will not be essential in allforms of separation but will be necessary in some, and the port 123provides a convenient way of introducing the Water into the separatorstructure whenever desired while being capable of functioning as asimple inspection port or as control linkage guideway when spray Wateris not desired.

Alternatively, suitable hydraulic or electric means may be provided foradjusting the separate splitter units 110. It is contemplated that suchremotely controllable actuating structures may take the form of a uidservo mechanism mounted adjacent the splitter elements 110 in a mannerwell known in the servo motor art. The electrical control means may takethe form of a solenoid control mechanism wherein the splitter element110 (preferably its depending sleeve position 111) may constitute thearmature portion thereof, the actuating coil being mounted externallyconcentric thereto, or as a surface layer surrounding the feed pipe 101.It will be appreciated that these examples are merely illustrativelycited of the many variations common to the linear actuator art.

A brief description will now be made of the process according to theinstant .invention for separating valuable minerals, such as phosphate,from associated gangue materials byk means of the apparatus of Figure 4.In

practice an ore mixture containing phosphate a'ndrarssv cated .wastelsands Ais continuously fed into` av QWPg.

' afzeasiasf ofean aqueous: solution.Y In: order to' enhance thevseparation betweenl'the valuable, phosphate mineral and:

the wrthless wasteV sands. the. orer should be treatedY with reagentprior' to introducing it into the owing stream, It is conventionalpractice. tov add any of the Vmany well'y known chemical reagents in thereagentizing process in order to increase the Vstratification-f betweenthe valuable andwast'ernineral; positions over and above that induced bytheir different buoyancies.V This. processV isy known as a Vreageutizedfeed separationV wherein the valuable,v minerallcontent, hereinfindicated to bev phosphates, becomesk associated together in intimaterelationship-asa oatinglayer in a-n'\.1pperl stratum in the aqueoussolution. Thel chemical reagent also. functions toV allow theworthlessgangue materialsvtobe: wet to decrease: their buoyancy,"thereby causingsuchv mineral substances Y to to thel bottom oftheaqueousf solution,providing `a distinct` demarkation line between theupper phosphatebearingV stratumfand the lower waste bearing stratum Vwhereby'V the twomay Ybe conveniently' separated. As

In the instant case this desirable result is obtained by'v causingy thereagentized, wore-bearing: aqueous suspension to'be continuously pumped(by conventional apparatus' not illustrated) orotherwisesdeliveredffromV theY reagent conditioning apparatus, Ytogether with a controlled amount of water and feed.l In this type ofoperation the valuable Vmineral bearing ore, either uncrushedorcomminutedV to? a sizev of between 8l to 200 mesh, isV continuously'fedintol the reagentizred aqueous stream at a rate such that the slurrydensity is maintained atl or below 35% solids. The slurry is thenpumpedl or otherwise delivered through the feedpipe 101 to thestandpipej102 where it is discharged via the nipples 104 and thedistributing hoses 106 to the feed ends of the plural pinchedsluiceunits of'separating battery 107. From this point the mineral-bearingslurry flows down the converging sloping surfaces of battery 107 to thedischarge perimeter Y 109; As previously; stated, this simultaneousVconvergingy and slewing of lthel slurry V'flow increases thestratification Y At the disb charge perimeter the separate stratum spurtout asof the` valuable mineral and waste portions.

eluentfans in-a zone of free fall, these fans are positively separatedAat the splitter lip 115. The upper phosphate Y bearing stratumVdischarges within the funnel contour of splitter unit V110 and thencethrough the annular cham- "110 in like manner to that describedpreviously; the. ensuing waste stratum'. dropping` onto the surface ofthe,

second distributor 130 which conveys it to the feed ends of thevrthird.batteryV 137 ,for a subsequent separation of4 most of the remainingphosphate particles. In this latter.`

separation all of the phosphate has vbeen removedfrom ythe slurry, sofaras practical incommercial operations,

I6 waste Vsand cleaned from the concentrate are collected inA catchbasin 145 andrecirculated to 102. for recleaning andY the phosphates arecollected inbasin149.` f

In practice,'the splitterjunits for batteries 107, 127 are positioned tosplitthe slurry lamellar Vjetsin Vany proportion desired. By thisfsystemthe instant apparatus'and process provides an exceedingly eliicient andeconomical means. for ensuring` a high f grade of recovered mineral` orewhile simultaneously obtaining a high degree ofk e'-Y ciency in theseparating operation.

An alternative method of feeding the mineral bearingY slurry to theseparator apparatus may be practiced by conveying the aqueous vehicle upthrough the pipe 101 Vto the chamber 16:3.: in continuous manner.' Atthis point `the reagentized mineral. bearing ore may be dischargedVVdownwards through the standpipe'102 to` with and Vbe'` carried by theupwardly iiowing aqueous stream through' the discharge nipplesV 104 anddistributing hoses 10S-to2 the feed ends of the respective sluice umtsof the battery 107. rEllis typeof operationprovides'an exceedingly'effective arrangement for controlling the density of the slurrydischarge. In practice it has been found that with twenty-four nipples104', each having a diameter of three-- fourths inch, the desireddensityl of 35% solids or less may be maintained in the Yslurry ow bycontrolling the` feed rate of the, mineral bearing oredischargedfthrough the standpipe 102. tobe approximately five-tenths tonper hou-Ieper pinched-sluice, or less; the aqueous flowl being r pumpedatA the rate of approximately 5000 gallons per f hour, or more.

A structure, built' according to Fig. 4, employing forty pinched-sluiceunits; with feed end widths of six inches: for the rstbattery 107' andthirty pinched-sluiced units i with feed ends-of eight inches in thesubsequent batteries, i 12T, 137 and 147, and while observingfrthe feedrate and density-limitations above noted, has experimentally pro-` ducedrecoveries of ninety-four percent for a reagentized feed separation'ofphosphates with a very high grade separating batteries of the unit` ofFig. 4 provide a com-2' bined capacity, recovery rate Vand product gradeVhitherto Y unobtainable in the reagentizedfs'eparation field. Anotherand the discharged waste bearing portion is collected in a--Y catchbasin 35 and thence conveyed tojwaste.'

. The

phosphate stratum from the rst three separating batteries ,Yareeonibined into a single'lluid flow inthe third splitter` extremelyadvantageous feature of the frustro-conical arrangement of sluices ofFig.. 4 lmay be appreciated from the yfollcgav/iugcomputations which`Villustrate the compara-Y tiveV ease lof computing the-various variablevalues fora given type operation. VIn describing the variousvariables,reference will be Vhad to Figs. 1,2, 3a' and 7, wherein the Vseparatesymbols indicate Ythe constructional features represented in thefollowing formulae.

Y From Fig. 3u it will be seen that the lengthof slurry travell isdenoted asl T so'V that the diameter, D, of a multiple-sluice batteryV(see Fig.V 7) may be expressed as follows:V Y k Y Y v Y l Y .D.=2T cosf--a1V n where:

D=diameterof battery i. d=diameter ofV discharge perimeter T :length ofslurrytravel f Y 0=inclination of the individual sluice and where:

P=perimeterofY the battery 1 P=pi 2reose+dyf Y 'Y and since theindividual feed end widths ofthe Separate pinched-sluices approximatetheperimeter conlguration PNw `agregarse' j 17 where: N =number ofindividual sluces w=width of .individual sluices hence:

Nw=p;-(2T @es Hd) or N=T-'95S--M hence for gravity separations 20 Porreagentized feeds, the chart of Fig. 2 indicates that the capacity (c)of a single sluice is limited to .5 ton Max. C; (tons/hr) per hour.Therefore for reagentized feed separations:

c=.5 (ton/hr.) and C=Nc=.5N and since N =P/ w ..C=.5 P/ w hence, forreagentized feed separations:

Max. CWp-Qtons/hr.)

9 Max CzMGOnS/hn) It will thus be seen that the circular arrangement ofthe individual pinched-sluices into a conical formation alsoVfacilitates the calculation of the constructional dimensions for a giventype separation procedure. It will be further noted that the aboveformulae for capacities demonstrates the unexpected result that maximumcapacity is obtained with smaller individual feed end widths ('w) abovethe lower limits set by the convergence Aangle (u.) of Figs. 1 and 2(the nose width (M, Fig. 3) being regulated within narrow limits as setforth. previously).

Figs. 9 and 10 illustrate a modied form of mounting structure which maybe used to support the vertically stacked separating batteries of Fig.4. This support consists of a triangular base section formed from threeinterconnected braces 201 and vertically projecting stanchions 204 whichextend from each apex of the triangular base. The latter may be firmlyconnected to the base as by welding or riveting, etc. An inwardly 60projecting arm or brace 210 extends from the upper end of each stanchionand terminates in a centrally positioned support ring or collar 211which may be integrally attached thereto as by welding, etc. Thiscentral ring or collar 211 contains a plurality of adjustable set screws212 (see Fig. 10) which are adapted to adjustably center the supportingstructure about the central feed pipe 101. The outer ends of arms210Vmay be detachably connected to legs 204v for a purpose hereinafterapparent.

Thetriangular base also has a second group of vertical1y,vbut.angularly, projecting legs or stanchions 202 which extend outwardly fromthe respective center points of the base braces 201 and terminate in acommon horizontal plane. A circular support member or ring` 203 ispositioned on the upper ends of these legs and is xedly connectedtherewith as by welding, etc. This latter ring forms a continuous rigidsupport for the feed end periphery of a separating battery. A group ofhorizontally projecting short braces or arms 205 are positioned on thebraces 201 of the triangular base, opposite the angul'arly extendinglegs 202, and extend inwardly towards the center of the triangle whereeach terminates in a center rim or ring member 207. This ring member ispositioned to be concentric to a vertical center line through `thecenter of collar 211 and includes adjustable set screws 212 forcentering the splitter funnel unit of the separating battery within itscircumference.

Another group of perpendicular legs 206 extend vertically fromY the arms205 and terminate in a second horizontal plane. A second, smaller sluicesupporting rim or ring 208 is placed on the upper ends. of legs 206 andIi's adapted to support the separating battery adjacent 'its dischargeperimeter. This second ring may be formed to be detachably connected tothe ends of legs 206, as by means of bolts, etc., for a purposehereinafter apparent. This ring member is also centered with respect toa vertical center line through the collar 211.

Additional support arms 215 are integrally connected to the triangularbase at the apices thereof and project outwardly to form a plurality ofplatforms that may be supported in any conventional manner from avertically erected tower. l

Fig. 11 illustrates the application of the mounting or supportingstructure of Figs. 9 and l0 in suspending` a separating battery such as107 of Fig. 4 about a vertical feed pipe. Inv this gure, however, thefeed, pipe and splitter unit constructions are illustrated to be of amodified type, although it will be recognized that the principlesdemonstrated are equally applicable to a separator'ba't tery identicalinv construction to those of Fig., 4. As shown, the. feed pipe isofessentially the sameV form as that of Fig. 4 (the standpipe 230, chamber233 and nipples 234 corresponding to those of Fig. 4), but is.constructed to be in separate sections, 2.31, which may: be assembledtogether during erection of the unit as by means of coupling sleeves232. The` sleeve may be formed integrally with a bucket type catch basin240. (as shown), or independently thereof for use in such structures asthe phosphate. separator of Fig. 4. Y

The splitter unit is illustrated' to be of a modifiedl type which isparticularly advantageous for high grade ores in which only a singleprocess separation is necessary; yand in addition to the catch basin240, includes the usual type of splitter funnel 261, which is positionedto depend into the catch basin 240 for a purpose hereinafterapparent,and a second catch basin 250 formed integrally with the splitter funnel261 to provide an annular fluid chamber thereabout. With thisconstruction the fluid discharged from an; adjacent separator perimeteris split by thelip of funnel 261 to. drop, in separated portionsintothev two catch basins, 240 and. 250,. from which it may herconveyedto remotepoints viadischarge spouts 241 andV 251, respectively.

-lln assembling the apparatus in the triangularsupport unit, the catchbasin 240 is firstl positioned within the support collar or ring l207and the set screw-s 20% ad,i justed to center it therein. Thereafter thesplitter funnel 261 and associated basin 250 is positioned within'thebasin 240 and centered by means of set screws 242 carried by basin 240.The inner, battery supporting 203 is then positioned on the extendedends of legs206 and firmlyY aixed thereto, as by bolting. Thereafter,the multiple-sluice battery i107 is positioned over the suipport rings20S-and 208 and remains suspended thereby. The sluice battery may besemi-permanently held .in a centered position by means of removableabutmentpins (not shown), .which may be placed therein to abut againstthe surfaces of rings 203 and 208, and position its discharge perimeter2,60 .concentrically about splitter fum nel'261.

. After the s luice battery is in place, 'the upper arms210 andVintegral collars 21-1 are connected to the upright .stanchions 204 inthe manner previously described. Tlvlereafter the upper .feed pipesection 231 isninserted vthrough the collar 211 and coupledwithvsleeve232, the .'set screws 212 being adjusted to center thesupport unit and therewith the islu-ice battery 107 and splitter unitabout the feed pipe 23.1 as a center.

=It --will thus be seen that the instant vconstruction pro-.vides'awsimple structure which is easily assembled and ,disassembledand'which is adaptable to interchangeably "cooperate with diierent sizedm'ultiplev-slu-ice batteries and different type splitter funnel units.It will be'apprecia'tedthtsuitable set screws 209 may'be'providedto.cooperate with different splitter structures .suchnas the splashsleeveV 113 of thesplitter unit V110 .in Fig. 4, or the .splitter sleeve344 of the multiple-splitter funnel unit described infra with 'referenceto Fig. l2.vr

.'The numerals 270 in Fig. ll indicate two sets of toggle'arms ongpp/osite sides of .pipe 231 which may be pivoted together asat'27z1.The upper arms are pivotally connectedto'the collar 2111 to dependtherefrom, while the lower arms are pivotally connected to areciprocating 'sleeve member 273 .which is integrally connected to thesplitter funnel 26I'by means of spaced rib members 274. Y'I'llecentralpivots127'1 of each toggle is in turn pivoted toy the respectivearms of a yoke member 265 (only the ends-of which are shown.) which mayb'e 'reciproeat-ed toward andaway from the feed pipe to raise and lowerthelsplitter Yfunnel, within the discharge perimeter 260. A set`screwmaybe .provided in sleeve 27'3 to center it :aboutjthe kfeed pipe `forreciprocation thereover when actuated by the yoke member 265 via togglelinkage 270. construction provides a modiiied form of actuatingflinkage'for the variousv typesplitter funnel units and beused'interchangeably therewith. Its particular advantage 1resides'in thefact that the .yoke member 265 may be actuated by. a convenientlylocated uid servomotor or solerioidorby apull cord or chain.V

l" No distributor (such Vas 120 of Fig. 4) has been illus- :trated incombination'with the multiple-'sluice battery 107 Vin Fig. l1, but itwill be readily appreciated that such maybe provided bythe simplelexpedient of placing the A"base perimeter `of the distributor cone onthe upper surface of the batteryr107 prior to positioning feed pipe 231aissembly. Thefrustrumof the distributor cone may be conveniently formed'to surround the 'lower edge 'of th'e`Awcollar 211 whereby a duidsealcan'lbe easily inserted therebetween. In Vsuch cases, the togglelinkage 270 may be dispensed with, vor alternatively, supported-from'extensions on the collar 211..k Y

llFig. `l2 illustrates a fur-ther modiiied vform of the in-'fstantinventiom particularly with respect to the mounting structure forsupporting the separating'battery and theVV splitter unit construction.In the figure, 107 designaties-"the previously described truncated conearrangement of a plurality ofz pinched-sluice type individual separatingunits. This form of the invention is adapted to provide a multiplestra-ta separating actionffor the uid -fiow contained within theindividual triangular troughs of 'the separator battery 107 and includea plurality of vertically-spaced splitter elements 345 and 375,respectively. -These splitter elements are both constructed in the sameform as those previously described and constitute up- Vward-ly and4angularly extending peripheral lflange eleme'nts having acircumferential edge rim spaced approximately 1A inch away from theperimeter formed by the discharge ends of the individual sl-uices. Eachseparating 'liange or lip is integrally connected with a verticallydepending sleeve portion, 34-4 .and 374 respec-tively,rwhich tendingtubular sleeve portion 643. The sleeve 343 isv designed -to extendvertically above the uppermost edge of the spaced tubular ysleeve 64410a distance substantially above the top edges ofV 'the adjacent sidewalls 2 of the individual sluices in the separator battery andterminates in `an angularly and downwardly directed conesliaped ashing'346 which is adapted to preventsprayfrom enter-l ing within the chamber'formed .by 4the .-tu'bular sleeve V343 and `feed .pipe v331. 'Itwill.thus. be seen that theconcentric tubular sleeves `343 and 344 withYtheir integral bottom flange section 342 form a second slurry Itiuidreceptacle which is generally indicated by the numeral 340. Adjacent the'lowermost portionof this receptacle 340 there is provided ya .dischargeconduit or spout341 for -conveying the slurry vfluid thereincontainedto; agre-r mote point.

Vertically disposed laboveftheY discharge conduit 341, but spacedthereiromhis 'an annulus-like toroidal ibasin or receptacle 350formedffby a'tu'bular sleeve '3'5'2gw-hich surrounds but is radiallyspaced `from the tubular'sleeve 344 and has an integral sloping bottom`surface .-3'53. Adjacent one side of thetoroidalreceptacle Va portionof the sleeves wall '3152, is tiaredoutwardly to coopenatewith thesloping 'bottom'fsurfafce735i3Y to form 'adischarge spout or conduit351. The toroidal basin 3150 may. :be initially fabricated to have acentral Jcut-away .portion or hole in the sloping bottom section 353.which tits tightly over the tubular sleeve i344 'and is secured theretopermanently "als by weldingor soldering, or a like operation. Thisconstruction enables the lcentral portion of the sleeve 344 to4cooperate with the radial-ly spaced tubular sleeve F352 and Vtoroidalii-uidf 'receptacle ywithin the .annular chamber Adjacent-the' verticaledge -of; ,the circular sleeve l v1s `positioned -an outwardly ldirectedperpendicular ange'S'S for the purpose hereinafter explained.fAs'yvillbeA seen from' an inspection .fof the figure, sleeve 352isvecally positioned to j encompass theV 'depending portionof theannular chamber ,370 andis adapted to receive theiuid slurry dischargerecoveredwithin 'said chamber by means 'of gravity discharge throughports 373V inthe bottom fwall 372 ofjsuch annular chamber.

Vertically 'positioned above: the peripheraljiiangejrliS oftheannularjreceptacle 350 is a'second toroidal tluijd: rjeceptaclegenerally indicated as 3 60.` Thiscatch .basin lisY formed'by Va tubularsleeve .361having an integral and angularly sloping bottom section 362...A discharge,` spout 3 64is'formed'by an extension'of the slopingYbottom portionj362 Vand an outwardly'directed.angularly lextendingsection 363 of the tubular sleeve '361. The fabrication of this'receptacle maybe similar'tov thatjofjthe receptacle `350 andincludesproviding a centrally located circular 'cutgoutportion or-holeinthebottorn 362 whichis adapted to Ytightly surround theVY outer wall,'374 Aofthe fluid chamber 370: This icircular'cutloutportion 'ispositioned approximately in the vmid portion ofthe annular cham-'ber370fandfmay be integrally connectedto the'Y outer sleeve 'wall 374thereof' by any conventional means, such as welding'or soldering. VTheradial extent-of theV fluid receptacle 360, so formed, is designed tobeslightly in excess of,V or' approximately'equalfto, the 'central'aperlture .i-n'the apex ofthe inverted truncated separatorfbattery'for thepurpose hereinafter' explained;l Positioned vertically intermediate thechamberr1360 @remesa and theA peripheral ii'ange '355 of tliechamber,350" is a circular peripheral flange sectionj This flange isl in,-tegrally bonded to the outer sleeve 374 of the chamber 37) andterminates adjacent' the arcuate sect-ion of the sleeve 374 wherein thesloping bottom lportion 362 is integrated therewith. The tiange 371 andthe underside of the sloping bottom wall 362 form anv abutment flangeabout the periphery of chamber 370; The peripheral ange 355 on thechamber 35i) hasspaced' threaded holes therethrough which are adapted toreceive adjustable wing bolts 38d and. the tip ends 381 of the bolts areadapted to abutt the underside of A the 'ange 371 and the sloping wall362 to vertically.' adjust the spacial' position of the integratedchambers 360 Aand 370, and the splitter segment 375 integrally carriedtherewith. By this construction it will be readily appreciated that thesplitter segment 375 may be manually adjustedwith respect to thesplitter element 345 within the discharge perimeter at the apex of theconical separator. The other splitter segment 345 may be vertically.adjusted' by: any suitable means, as by raising and lowering thechamber340.-

A further feature which is illustrated in the instant form of theinvention is the novel supporting structure provided for the innerslopingy ends of the individual triangular sluices of the separatorbattery. As shown in the ligure, a pair of spaced annular supportmembers 300 and 305 are positioned vertically above: one anotheradjacent the discharge perimeter of the {fusto-conical separator. Theannular support ring 30.0 is positioned beneath the undersides of theindividual sluices ofthel cone arrangement, While the annular supportring 305 is positioned on the sidewalls of the individual sluices. Theside walls 2 of the individual pinched-sluices may be slotted asillustrated at 3%6 to accommodatev the lowermost edge of the ring 305. Aplurality of U-bolts 310. are. positioned in the interstituial spacesbetween the side Walls 2 of the adjacent spaced discharge noses of theseparate pinchedsluice units and are adapted to cooperate with aplurality of end bearing plates 311 positionedV over the extended legsof the U-bolt to securely lock the spaced angular rings 3% and 3%5 withthe supported slnice units therebetween into and integral and rigidstructurev as. by means of ad'- justable lock nuts 312. threaded overthe extended; legs of the U-bolt 319.

The above support structure provides an extremely eicient andstructurally etectivesupport means for separator cone units within avertical battery array, such as that disclosed in the construction ofFig. 4. In practice, the unir would be assembledO by positioning the.lower end unit support ring 380 beneathk the inverted frustoconicalbattery of sluices, then the second support ring 365 would be placedover the top of die sluices and into the slots 3%!6 in the side, walisV2, and then; a. plurality of the U-bolts with their cooperating.clamping plates 311 would be inserted over the rings at spacedintervals between adjacent sluice units and adjusted to.: clamp thesupport rings 353i) and 305 into tight frictional engagement with thelower ends of the sluices and frictionally bind them therebetween bythreading the l'oclr nuts 312 down beyond the extended legs of the;U'bolt;

The outer rim or perimeter of the separator battery may be supported` bya circular member orring, such as 151 of Fig. 4, and suitablereinforcing; ribs or arms could be spaced between such ringandthezringll 'and Viixediy connected therewith in anyv suitable manner.Such construction provides a very simple and inexpensive. supportstructure which may be easily suspended from conventional tower structues.

Fig. 13 illustrates a still furthersmodi-fied' form of the invention forseparating heavyl valuableminerals from a mineral-bearing aqueous slurryina gravityI type separation operation. This figurel illustrates aii'owfsheetA for the multi-stage separationof heavy minerals by agravity feed or heavy mediafseparationand -is technically known asacountercurrent, recirculation separationfprocess. As shown, fourseparate separators respectively indicated as the first, second, thirdand fourth, are used to sequentially process mineral-bearing ore whichmay be initially fed into the iirst separator. The structures utilizedas the iirst, second and third separators may be built in accordancewith the construction of the conical battery and multiple splitter unitillustrated in Fig. 12, while the last or fourth separator may be builtin accordance with the construction of the battery and single splitterunit illustrated in Fig. ll. It will thus be apparent that the firstthree separators are adapted to divide the slurry ow into threerespective portions, respectively, constituting a tailings, a middlingsand a concentrate; while the fourth separator stnicture is adapted toseparate the slurry iiow into only a concentrate and a tailings portion,respectively.

ln this form of the invention the ore originally fed into theV rstseparator is processed during travel down the individual sluices of thefrusto-conical battery as set forth previously, and is discharged at therespective nose of the battery sluices into separate containers as atailings, middlings and concentrate portion, respectively; beingeiectively diverted thereinto by a plurality of slurry splitters or lipssuch as 344 and 375 of Fig. 12. As will be apparent from an inspectionof the figure, the tailings portion alone is directed to waste; theconcentrate portion bei-ng' directed or fed to the second separatorwhile the middlings portion is recycled back into the separator with theinitial ore feed. In practice, this recycling may be accomplished by thesimple provision of a suitable launderer structure, including a sump anda conventional slurry pump (neither of which are illustrated). Theconcentrate portion of the first slurry ow discharged from the rstseparator is fed through a conventional conduit or launderer structureinto the second separator where it is processed in like manner andredivided into asecond tailings, middlings and concentrate portion. Thesecond concentrate portion from the second separator is then feddirectly into the third separator; The second middlings portion isrecycled back into the second separator with the concentrate portionfrom the tirst separator in identical manner to the recycling of themiddli'ngs portion of the lirst separator; while the second tailingsportion is returned to the initial feed of the first separator inconjunction with the first middlings.

The second concentrate portion discharged from the second separator isdirectly fed into the third separator where it is reprocessed in anidentical manner. The third concentrate portion is discharged from thisthird separator is then fed directly in the fourth separator; the thirdseparator, and the tailings portion being recycled into the feed of thesecond separator.

The third concentrate portion discharged from the third separator isonce again processed into the fourth separator and upon dischargetherefrom is split into a fourth concentrate portion, representing theinal product, and a fourth tailings portion which is returned to thefeed of the third separator, as indicated in the iigure.

Aswill be apparent from the above description, the initial ore isdivided and subdivided while being simultaneously processed andreprocessed whereby essentially all of the valuable mineral content isetrectively separated and divorced from the waste or gangue materials sothat the ultimate product is one of exceptionally high grade. Theprovision of only a single discharge to waste, and that in the initialor first separation stage effectively precludesany appreciable loss ofthe heavier valuable mineral content.

In practice the above results also can be obtained by using a fullAcircular battery of pinched sluices for the initial or rougher separatorconstituting an accurate segment of a full circular battery for thesubsequent separators (2nd, 3rd, and` 4th). This innovation readilyaccommodates the progressively decreasing volume of vslurry .yidualsluices.

.without requiring a change in size orshape in the indi.-

f, 'In thisV type process Vthe effect' of slope variation/and head feetgrade hasa direct bearing` on the/percentage recovery in that therelative proportion ofdensi,ty or #high specic gravity valuesprogressively increases ,in 4`each succeeding separator structure. Itthus becomes desirable to vary the slope ofV theV segments in the suc--ceedingseparator structures, as previously noted, such ;that the slopein the first separator vbattery may approximatefl5 while that of thesecond separator may .approximate 18, and Ythat of the third separatormay fapproximate 21, the slope for the fourth separator beingsubstantially the same as that for the thirdporringsome cases slightlymore, such as 23. Naturally it is possible to deviate from the abovenoted limits without destroying the effectiveness of the separation. V AIt will be obvious that there are many permissible variations inprocessing heavy mineral-bearing ores in ,the above-noted apparatus;such as by simply eliminating -the Aiirst or the second separatorstages, particularly where 4a very high grade ore from which maximumrecovery lwould be required, is used as the initial feed; or byintroducing a high grade ore into the apparatus at the third separatorinstead of in the initial separator, whereby the subsequent reprocessingand recycling of the tailings fand middlings discharged from the thirdseparator into Ythee'rst and second stages would merely function Vas/,a'scavengingrin lieu of a bona-tide separating action. In the flattercase, 'the slope of the rst and -secondj separator batteries could bemaintained at approximately since there wouldbe no excessive quantity ofheavy values in 'therecirculated slurry flow, while the slope of thethird separator should preferably be increased to approximately themaximum limit of 23, although it will function effec- .tively with aninclination of approximately 18 or below. In'some-installations it maybe desirable to mount the four separation stages lin vertical alignmentin a manner similar tol that of1 `ig.'4 (including the provisionof adistributor for each separating battery).V VIn such case it will Ybe`possible to utilize a centralfeed pipe similar to pipe 101 of Fig; 4 tofunction as a centerg'uide in mounting the separate separator batteriesin addition to operating as a'riser for an aqueous slurry carrier (thedry'ore being introduced thereinto atfthe upper end 102) or for amineral-bearing slurry, as desired. With such anarrangement -themultiple splitter Yunits of the Yiirst three separating lstages maybeslightly modiedr in construction from that shown in Fig. 12 to theextent that the concentrate' basin 3.6i may be enlarged toprotrude'outwardly at 'a greater radial distance from the feed pipe thanthe middlings and tailings "basins so'that suitable provision', such asdropout'holes, may be made for expediently 'directing theY concentrateto the succeeding and next lowermost separator Vby simple gravityaction.V Y' g Inconducting a ycountercurrcnt. recirculation separa.-tion process according to Fig. 13, the limitations set forth previouslywith respect to feed rate andrslurry density should be observed. Thusthe density Y ofV the slurry should be maintained between 55 to l72%vdry solids l while feeding the'ore into the initial separation stage(regardless of which separator battery it is introduced into, i. e.,first, second'or third) at a rateY of between one (l) and one andone-half (l1/z) tons per Vhour Vper s'luice segment. Preferably, with va simple gravity "feed separation using the first separator (Fig. 1-3)as the initial separation stage, thedensity should approximate theupper-limit; while whenusing the third separator (Figi 13) asthe initialseparation stage, the density should approximate theV lower limit.separations, the density should be maintained to approximate theiupperlimit so as to provide as largea recovery ofzvaluable mineral 'perhouras is'possible. In4 any case, the desired density can "beregulated'andmaintained;by QQnfrQllinathe feed rate t0 be withilithe.listed In some casesvithefdistributors, batteries and splitters may beconveniently constructedto be sectionalized or Asplit (asinto equalhalves) so vas to admit of easy handling in mounting, anddismountingdifferent Vsized structures about the feed pipe as a center and onto thestationary support tower. This is easily accomplished in view of thefact Vthat ally parts may be fabricated from sheet metal. Any suitableldisconnectable means may be used to hold the parts together in assembledrelationship.

In vseparatingreadily owable solids, such as seeds and grains,withthepinched-sluice construction of the instant inventionV itwill benecessary tochange the dimensions such thatV the slope 0 will be greaterthan the permissible `maximum for gravity type separations by between 15and25 degrees,. the range of travel `length will be slightly decreasedto between 24 and 42 inches, the maximum allowable feed rate increasedto approximately 2.5 tons per hour, persegment, and the nose width in?creased slightly, dependentV upon the specific type subject matterseparated.

From the above disclosures, it will be appreciated that the instantinvention provides a host of hitherto unobtainable features and results,somey of which have long been consideredimpossible of attainment.

. Asmany. apparently widely different embodiments .of this inventionmaybe made without departing from the spirit and scope hereof, vit is tobe understood that the above invention is not' limited rexcept as denedin the appended claims. 1 This application is a continuation-impart ofour prior application Serial No. 103,048, tiled July 4, 1949 and nowPatent No. 2,644,583.y

What is claimed is:

l. A process for concentrating valuable mineral-bean ing ores whichcomprises the steps of reagentizing said ore, feeding said reagentizedore into ,an aqueous solution at the rate of .5 ton per hour orless, tothereby form an aqueous slurry having a maximum density of 35 percentsolids, causing Ysaid slurry to ow as a shallow stream a distancebetween 24 and 36 inches, while simultaneously converging said slurryVat an included angle between 6 and 16 into a narrowlamellar streamhaving awidth be` tween 1/2 and l inch, mildly sloping said stream tocause said stream to flow as a tranquil lamellar stream withoutsandbarring, then causing said slurry toffall freely in a gravity eld toform a vertical lamellarstream and sep-V arating said stream intoseparate mineral-bearing strata in said zone of free fall.

2. A process for separating valuable minerals from a Y valuablemineral-bearing ore which comprisesrtheV steps of dispersing said orein' an aqueousV solution to form an aqueous slurry having a density(percent solids) of bei the strata so formed into at least two distinctfractions centrate-potage reprossdin like, mannenV 25 l `GIA process as;claimed in claim 3= 'in which said middling portion is reprocessed inlike manner.

7-. Anapparatns'for separating a granular slurry int its.l constituentcomponents comprising a trough having raised side walls which couver-geefrom itsY feed end to its outlet end at an angle of between 6 andldegrees to an outletwidth of between% inch and one inch,atmosphericpressure feed means operatively associated with said Yfeedend for providing a tranquililowl of slurry to said trough, said trough.having a. at bottom with an inclination to the horizontal of between 9yand 23 degrees for cooperating with said raised converging ysidewallsto guide said slurry to flow in a downwardlyslopingstrearnof increasingdepth under tranquil laminar conditions of ow without Asandbarringwhilesubstantially increasing its velocity to segregate said constituentsintov strataY within said stream, and sharp-edgedow dividingimeansdisposed a short distance from and across. thewidthofsaid. outlet end ofsaid trough and-.within said stream which discharges freely from saidoutlet end to divide said stream into separatestreams in. accordance'with said strata.

8. The combination. set forth in claim 7 in which a plurality of saidinclined troughs are arranged in a circular formation side by side-toform an. inverted cone configuration having like adjacent centraldischarge peripheries and in which said dividing means consist of anintegral inverted hollow truncated: cone having its largestperipheralcircumference positioned at leastye inch from all saiddischarge ends..

9. A separating and concentrating unit for the separation of differenttype granules from a granular mixture, including a plurality oftriangularly-shaped pinched-sluice separating units, each saidpinched-sluice including a tri.- angnl'arly shaped floor. and integralvertically extending side walls which converge along respective sides ofsaid oor from the base ofthe triangle. towards its apex at an includedangle of between 6 and 16, said side walls terminating when spaced.apart aV distance equal to between and 1,V said plurality of.pinched-sluice units being oriented into a spoke-like formation havingthe bases of the triangularly shaped oors positioned to substantiallycontact. one another to. thereby form a circular configuration, each of.said. sluices. being inclined from the horizon towards the center ofsaid circular configuration atan angle ofbetween9 and.23, the generalcontourof said plurality of` pinched-sluice units being in the shape ofan inverted frustrum of a cone;

f 1i0. The combination set forth in claim 9 in which the inclinedtriangular apex portions of said plurality of sluices terminateadjacent. one another to form a central circular opening at the apex ofthe inverted frustrum, a tubular funnel inserted. in said opening andincluding an integral: angularly extending circular iiange thereabout,the extended edge portion of said flange terminating at a radicaldistance of approximately at least from the adjacent edges of saidplurality of pinched-sluice units.

1l. In a separating unit for separating valuable minerals frommineral-bearing ores including gangue materials, the combination of avertically extending conduit, a plurality of separating batteriesvertically spaced one above the other and surrounding said conduit, eachseparating battery including a plurality of pinched-sluice type troughsarranged in an annular array about said tubular conduits and each havinga oor surface of triangular shape with the apex portion of thetriangularly shaped oor surfaces vertically depending below the horizonat an angle of between 9 and 23, to thereby form a conical separatingbattery having the shape of an inverted frustrum of a cone, supportingmeans for supporting each said battery vertically spaced from theothers, distributing means connected to said tubular conduit andpositioned to cooperate with the uppermost separating battery, aplurality of fluid-splitting members surrounding said tubular conduit,each member including a tubular depending sleeve portion and an integralangu- V26 larlyV extendingV peripheral splitter lip, a plurality offrustrofconi'cal' distributors'surrounding said tubular conduit butvertically spaced apart thereon, each distributor being' positioned tocooperatev with selected separating batteries and control means foradjusting said splitter members vertically.

l2'. The'combination sety forth in claim 1l in which said supportingmeans include a plurality of groups of annular rod-shaped elements, saidfirst group including one each of said elements positioned adjacent thebase periphery of the inverted conical batteries, a second group of saidelements being respectively positioned adjacent the apex of the saidbatteries, a third group of said elements. being positioned verticallybelow each element of said rst group but spaced therefrom, andconnecting means for structurally interconnecting said spaced elementstoform a single integral support structure.

13. The combination set forth in claim ll in which said supporting meansincludes a plurality of annular members arranged in groupsl ofv twoeach, one each of said groupsA beingV positioned' vertically above andadjacent the .apex of each conical battery, one annular member'of eachgroup being vertically positioned below each said conicall battery' butfrictionally abutting the lower surface thereof', and a clampingstructure cooperating with each group of said annular elements torigidly clamp the constituent elements thereof together.

14. The combination set forth in claim 13 in which slots are formed inthe individual pinched-s1uice units of each separatingfbattery and theupper annular member of each group isV positioned in said4 slots.

l5. A separating unit for separating different component parts of agranularI mixture from a slurry thereof comprising, a separating batteryincluding a plurality of pinched-sluice type troughs, each Vtroughincluding a triangularly` shaped' door surface and integral convergingvertically extending spacedsidewalls, said plurality of troughs' being`spaciallfy positioned1v adjacent each other inspoke-likearrayr to form.a separating unit of plural troughs having the general Vconfiguration ofan inverted frustrum-cfa cone, a distributing cone positioned above saidseparating unit and having the base of the cone positioned adjacent thebase of said inverted conical frustrum, distributing means for supplyingsaid slurry adjacent lther-apex of said distributing cone, and aslurryseparating structure' positioned adjacentv the apex of saidinverted conical and adapted to separate a slurry 'of mineral-bearingore conveyed thereover into at least twoA distinct' strata, and conduitmeans for directing .the said'separatedz stra-tum to a position remotefrom said separating; unit.

16.. The combination: set forth, in, claim l5 in which a secondidentical distributing cone is positioned below said slurry separatingstructure and a second identical separating battery is positioned belowsaid second distributing cone, said conduit means including structurefor conveying one said slurry stratum onto the apex portion of thesecond distributing cone, and a second slurry separating structurepositioned adjacent the apex of said second separating unit.

l7. A separating unit for separating valuable minerals from a slurry ofmineral-bearing ores comprising a horizontally positioned separatingbattery having the configuration of an inverted frustrum of a cone, saidbattery including a plurality of pairs of vertically extending sidewalls which converge from the base towards the apex of said conefrustrum, a central feed pipe extending vertically through the frustrumapex of said battery, and a cylindrical element concentricallypositioned about said pipe and including an integral angularly extendingcircular ange which terminates a distance equal to at least l@ inch fromthe perimeter of said battery frustrum apex.

18. An apparatus for separating valuable minerals from an aqueousmineral-bearing slurry including a plurality of individual slurrybearing sluices grouped about

